


Zareh

by WeirdBlankCat



Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-03-03 10:10:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13339044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeirdBlankCat/pseuds/WeirdBlankCat
Summary: He’s haunted Zero’s mind for years but now, using Zero’s body, he graces Cross Academy with his presence.Split personality Zero





	1. Prologue

Apprehension tugged slightly at Zero as he felt him skirting the the sides of his mind, he grit his teeth and attempted to think of something else, to ignore him, he could feel his amusement as his presence grew clearer, Zero shoved him to the back of his mind and sped up the pace of his steps.

He chuckled, and Zero knew his attempts were futile, 'What do you want?' Zero asked with annoyance and concealed unease, 'You're rather rude' the unwelcome presence remarked matter of factly, 'I don't care' snapped Zero, 'I noticed' was the dry reply. Zero ran a hand over his face, he hated talking to him, it made him feel….agitated. Of course, it hadn't always been that way, there was once a time he had been his greatest comfort, Zero had relied on him, but that was something Zero didn't want to remember, he knew better now.

'You don't talk to me' complained the presence, 'Go away' Zero said tiredly, Zero could feel him laugh, 'Not likely, I want to talk' Zero frowned, the statement was foreboding 'Well I don't' Zero said unhappily, the presence ignored him, 'I want a name'. Zero froze. A name? A name would give him an identity, it would mean accepting that he was there and always would be. No, Zero couldn't do that, that would be giving up, and-and… giving in. No. No, he would not give him a name. That would only make him that much more real, and he wasn't, he was not real, Zero reassured himself, he wasn't a threat. Dangerous. And Zero refused to admit that he scared him.

Zero shook his head and swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. 'No', Zero could feel his displeasure, 'You insist that I am not you and that we have no connection but you also deny that I am a person?' He drawled, Zero felt his skin crawl, 'You aren't one', the presence grinned, 'Then pray tell what am I?'

Zero clutched his sleeve with a tight fist, "A bad dream and a figment of my imagination" Zero said out loud. 'You can wish' the presence whispered, 'But for now, humor me with a name', Zero was growing angry, he hated him. How dare he demand anything from him. After everything, how humiliated he had been, betrayed. He wouldn't give that asshole anything. He owed him nothing, he may be continuously plagued by his existence, perhaps for the rest of his life, but he would not give in. Never again.

"Shut up!" Snarled Zero, "Shut up and leave! This is my mind and I know you don't exist! A-and I'm not crazy.." Zero trailed off, slightly ashamed of how weak he sounded towards the end of his outburst. Zero prepared to defend himself from any mocking or depreciative comments, but the presence had already left, at least for the time being.

Zero let out a shaky sigh. He shouldn't have lost his temper, shouldn't have let his memories overwhelm him, it was weak, but for now, he was only happy that the presence had left him alone. "He isn't me" Zero murmured to himself, "He isn't me.. and I'm not crazy", but if he isn't you then who is he? A small voice seemed to asked, 'I don't know' Zero thought miserably.

He must have come from somewhere and probably from Zero's head because he was the only one who could hear him, and he had stated earlier, he might be a figment of his imagination, all Zero knew was that he had been with him since his parents were murdered and he was sent to live with the headmaster, Zero gave a snort of laughter. Though when you said it like that it sounded like he really was crazy.

Zero shivered involuntarily at the thought of blank white walls within a mental hospital, whether he was crazy or not one thing was certain, no one could ever find out.

Zero sighed, between this and being a level D, maybe he was better off dead. For his sake and everyone else's. 


	2. Chapter 2

_Zero's teeth sunk into his bottom lip, choking back a scream as Shizuka's fangs plunged in his neck. It hurt. It hurt like nothing Zero had ever felt before. He could feel his blood, his life source, leaving his body, being sucked out, by a vampire. Why? Why was this happening to him? What had he done? What had his family done?! He whimpered as Shizuka's fangs pushed deeper in. He wanted to die, it hurt so much, tears filled his eyes and all he could think about was whether or not his brother would suffer the same fate._

Zero awoke with a start, shaking, his sheets clinging to his sweaty body. It took him a moment to register his surroundings and calm down. It had just been a dream, a memory, he placed a hand over his pounding heart in an attempt to quiet it. He sighed, he should be stronger than this, he shouldn't still be having nightmares. Zero watched his hand rising and falling slightly with every heartbeat. He was strong, Zero knew he was, otherwise he wouldn't have survived so long, but sometimes it felt like he constantly fought an uphill battle, and it was just tiresome.

He sighed and glanced at his clock, there was no hope in going back to sleep now, he might as well get up. Zero peeled off his blankets and padded into the bathroom, he almost laughed when he caught sight of his reflection, he looked like shit. His hair was a mess, his face still hadn't recovered from sleep yet and not to mention his skin was still sweaty and clammy. He filled his hands with water and splashed his face, the temperature of the water made him shiver.

Zero had never really bothered with caring for himself past making sure he was psychically healthy enough to hunt vampires. He didn't avoid small discomforts or do much for his own comfort, or much for himself at all really. His life was lived in a gray, painful loop. Killing level Es, attending his duties as a prefect, fighting his bloodlust and trying to ignore the unlawful presence in his head.

The presence in his head? Well, Zero wasn't sure what else to call him. He was **not** a person, that was something Zero refused to believe, and if he gave him a name, that would give him an identity, a sort of realness, it would make him so much more than an idea, it would just make him to real.

Zero didn't know exactly what place the presence had in his daily life, he didn't fit into the vampire, hunter, human categories in Zero's head. But He had been with Zero since he was thirteen and that in itself was suspicious. I mean, his parents are murdered and all of a sudden there's some voice in his head talking to him? It was a shame Zero hadn't realized how suspicious it was until it was to late.

Zero shook his head to clear it of these dark thoughts and memories. In any case, the presence hadn't been very active since that time, so he didn't want to stir him by thinking about him so much.

Besides just the thought of him made Zero feel sick. Zero sighed and placed a hand on the mirror, staring at his reflection. A little sad smile crept on his face.

Yes, his life sucked, but somehow Yuuki was the small ray light that still shone cheerfully on. And that was something he couldn't afford to lose, sometimes it felt like Yuuki was all he had besides revenge on Shizuka.

Zero was too fucked up to deserve to be anywhere near someone like Yuuki, it was selfish of him to be as close as he was to her but he couldn't help it, Yuuki was the only warm, kind face he ever saw. So he would protect her at all costs and try to keep as much distance as he could.

Zero pulled on his clothes, still thinking thoughtfully of Yuuki. It was incredibly that someone as bright as her would even consider being his friend, his sister. It made his heart prickle with happiness to think that despite how disgusting he was, Yuuki had still cared.

'Of course' Zero thought as he walked out of his room 'it would be even better if she didn't also worship the ground Kaname Kuran walked on.'

* * *

 

To Zero, classes were just a pain. Many times he had just skipped them and had used that time to catch up on sleep, but, alas, he couldn't get away with skipping every class. So here he was, listening to the dull drone of the teacher and casting glances at Yuuki every now and then.

Zero held back an amused smirk, Yuuki seemed to be doing a bad job of trying to stay awake and he wasn't ashamed to admit that it was funny to watch. Her eyes began droop and her head started to sag onto her chest, after a few seconds, a line of drool seeped down her uniform, then her friend, Yori, elbowed her and she snapped back up, red with embarrassment.

Zero looked away, stifling a chuckle. Honestly, she was such an idiot it was almost cute. Zero yawned, he couldn't really blame her for having a hard time keeping her eyes open though, he himself was having the same problem.

Zero rested his head onto his folded arms. He blamed the patrols, he and Yuuki, had to make completely, sometimes he wished he was able to skip out on patrols like he skipped out on classes, but unfortunately patrols were far more important than classes and he not only had to make sure the Night class kept in line, but he also had to keep an eye on Yuuki, it was too dangerous for Yuuki to patrol by herself and somehow she always managed to get into trouble on way or another.

Of course, Kuran was always there to get her out though wasn't he? Zero sneered, out of all the vampires in the world, Yuuki had to pick the most pure blooded asshole there was, to adore.

Kaname, Freaking, Kuran. Words couldn't describe this jerk. Arrogant, self righteous, fake, manipulative, these didn't even begin to cover it, never mind him being a vampire, Zero would have hated Kuran in any shape or form. (Though privately, Zero could admit that him being a pureblood vampire did feed a lot of that hate)

The way he lorded himself over everything was infuriating, he acted like he was some untouchable god! Yeah, well he wasn't, Zero prided himself on being one of the few that could outright piss him off. It was childish of him but Zero couldn't help it, for some reason, whenever Kuran was involved Zero was less than level headed.

Zero gave another heavy sigh, he was ninety nine percent sure that Kuran was the main cause of his infamous bad mood. But perhaps he wouldn't be if Yuuki would just shut up about him for twenty minutes. 'Well' a quiet voice that sounded suspiciously like the headmaster mused 'It wasn't as if Yuuki talked _none stop_ about Kuran, if anyone talked none stop about Kuran it would probably be-'

'Me?' Zero thought disbelievingly, sure he complained about Kuran but not all the time… right? It was just that if someone said something about Kuran it was hard to stop himself from going off on a tirade, but honestly, who could blame him?! And it wasn't all of the time!

Kuran was just that much of a bastard that Zero couldn't control his temper. He wasn't the one who brought Kuran up constantly! Kuran just involved himself in everything! Kuran was that much of a interfering bloodsuck-

"Kiryu! Are you listening?", Zero's head lifted as his teacher's voice brought him out of his inner thoughts. Damn it, class was annoying.

* * *

The class changeover came far sooner than Zero would have preferred and as he walked towards the gate surrounded by screaming girls, he rubbed his forehead, trying to will away the unnatural pounding in his head.

It had started somewhere between classes and it was something Zero hadn't been able to sleep off, much to his annoyance. It had grown worse as the day had worn on and now Zero was in a mood bad enough to scare off an army of grown adults let alone teenage girls.

Zero spared a glance upwards at Yuuki, she was barely managing to stay on her feet as she was pressed back by the throng of fan girls, and her shouting appeared to have little to no affect on them. He sighed and walked forward to help her.

Zero scowled darkly and raised his voice, "Get back or you'll be in detention for a month!", the girls attention shifted to Zero and they quailed before his glare, drawing back, whimpering and murmuring unhappily among themselves.

Yuuki let out a breath of relief as the girls drew back then turned and beamed gratefully up at Zero, "Thanks, Zero! I thought they were going to trample me", Zero gave Yuuki an unimpressed look, "As a member of the disciplinary committee shouldn't you be able to handle teenage girls?".

Yuuki's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she hit Zero's shoulder, "I'm practically dealing with thousands of them! I can't help it" she cried. Zero flicked her forehead "I see", Yuuki squeaked and covered her forehead protectively.

Zero had to bite back a chuckle despite the pounding in his head, "You're an idiot",

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Cried Yuuki "I'm working hard! I'm just not a natural jerk like you!".

Zero groaned as his head gave a particularly painful throb and he placed his head in his hand, Yuuki stopped talking abruptly and looked at Zero with concern, "Zero? Are you okay?". Zero didn't answer her, and when Yuuki continued to pester him with concerned questions, he just gave her annoyed glare.

Yuuki furrowed her eyebrows and reached up to feel his forehead but Zero lightly batted her hand away. Yuuki looked slightly hurt, "Zero, please! Does hurt a lot?", Zero rolled his eyes. He appreciated her concern but he wasn't going to bother her with this, it wasn't a big deal.

Finally, after it was clear he wasn't going to answer, Yuuki gave up with a huff of frustration. But she still shot him worried glances every now and then.

A few more moments and the Night class finally appeared, Zero's glare darkened. Kuran was leading at the front and his lackeys following behind.

The girls screams reached a whole new pitch and Zero winced, this was not help his head at all.

Zero could practically see the disgust on the high and mighty Night classes faces, with the exception of Aido, Zero rolled his eyes, Aido was waving and blowing kisses, lapping it up like usual.

Kuran gracefully made his way over to Yuuki and Zero, Zero glared fiercely, "Kiryu", Kuran greeted him with indifference then turned and smiled serenely at Yuuki, "Good afternoon, Yuuki, thank you for your hard work", Yuuki stuttered a thank you and Zero scoffed, frankly, he thought, she hadn't even done anything.

Zero rubbed his head irritably, his head was fucking killing him. It wasn't like a normal headache either, it felt different, like there was something actually pounding inside of his head. It was making it difficult to think.

"Zero, please, you look pale.." Yuuki said with a worried voice, Zero groaned and frowned at her. Couldn't she just let it be? Didn't he always look pale anyway? Kuran raised an eyebrow then turned and looked Zero over as well.

Kuran frowned lightly, disapproval shone in his eyes, "Kiryu, you will be able to attend patrols?", Zero scowled and spat "Yeah, Yuuki won't do them alone, so go to your classes", Kuran's eyes narrowed and he gave him a warning look before turned back to Yuuki, "Do not patrol alone, Yuuki", Kuran nodded a goodbye, and finally rejoining the rest of the Night class.

As soon as he was gone, Yuuki spun around and glared pathetically at Zero, "You shouldn't be so rude to Kaname senpai", Zero ignored her in favor of holding and rubbed his head.

The action made Yuuki's anger evaporate instantly, "You really don't look alright, Zero, m-maybe you should go to the infirmary" she said hesitantly. 'Yes, you should go to the infirmary, Zero' drawled the presence casually, Zero froze.

"Yuuki, go on ahead of me, I'll catch up", Zero said through clenched teeth, "But-", Yuuki began with a pleading look, "I'm fine!" Snapped Zero, her eyes were full of reluctance but Yuuki finally left.

'Isn't she the girl you like? You should be nicer', the presence remarked, 'is this your doing?' Growled Zero, 'Is what?', Zero's hands curled into fists, his head gave another sharp throb of pain, 'You know exactly what I'm talking about!'.

'I'm sorry but you're going to have to be more specific, Zero' the presence said evasively, Zero rubbed his head again, 'Look, this thing you're doing, it's distracting so make it stop' he said tiredly. 'This is the nicest you've ever spoken to me, Zero~ well except for back then' purred the presence.

Zero's chest filled with miserable shame and anger, 'Don't you dare. Don't you dare bring that up', Zero's head pounded mercilessly, 'Oh? Why? Does it embarrass you? I don't see why, I personally think you overreacted-'

'Shut up!' Cried Zero, he clutched his arm hard and pulled it to his chest, he could remember how it felt, how horrifying his arm moving on its own had been, how he had- no! No. He wasn't going to think about this.

Zero took deep calming breaths, his head hurt, now he was angry and that made it worse, he didn't know why he had even bothered asking him to get rid of the headache.

Zero knew he was the cause of it, and the fact that he could cause him psychical pain scared him more than he liked to admit. But he couldn't think about right now, Yuuki was patrolling by herself. The fact brought Zero out of thoughts and harshly into reality.

He shook his head and started walking in the same direction Yuuki had left in. Right now Yuuki and patrolling were more important. It didn't matter that he was in a little pain, he had suffered and lived through pain before, and right now was no different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not completely happy with how it turned out but oh well. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Zero lay, hidden from view, within White Lily's stable. His eyes screwed shut and his teeth gritted, the headache from the day before had yet to fade and had in fact grow much worse, and to add to Zero's misery, his stomach twisted and squeezed unpleasantly, making him nauseous.

White Lily tossed her head uneasily at his weak groans, and the mare twisted her head around to give him a concerned look, neighing softly. Zero managed to crack an eye open through the pain and smile at her, well, try to smile, it came out a rather forced grimace.

"It's fine" he mumbled, Lily wasn't convinced, his unease and energy put her on edge and made her nervous and she pawed the ground restlessly.

Zero groaned and sat up, he hissed when sharp pain shot through his head, he tried to ignored it and focused on calming Lily down. It wouldn't be great to have her trample him now.

He outstretched a shaky hand and patted her flank, "Its… all right", he fell back onto the straw with a low moan, mentally cussing.

It hurt, it really fucking hurt. Zero wasn't weak but this pain made him force away tears of frustration and agony. It was so very different from the pain of controlling his bloodlust, the burning in his throat when he was thirsty hurt like hell but it was the type of pain he could bear.

Bloodlust was the type of pain that cut like a knife, but this pain was dull and throbbing and burned from the inside.

He hated it. He wanted to pass out to escape from the pain. Zero reached and clawed his side in an attempt to focus on a more bearable pain, his stomach lurched and he gagged, he could taste the disgusting tang of vomit in his mouth.

He shuddered and gagged again. He rolled over, face down, in hope that the twisting pain in his stomach would ease slightly, with the pressure on it.

Hurt clawed at Zero's eyes whenever he opened them, the light made them ache and the dark made them throb. He whimpered and shut them again. At this point, he didn't even care why he was feeling so horrible, he just wanted it to stop, he would give anything for a pain free second, half a second even!

The headache pounded harder and Zero bite his fist to keep himself from crying out. He couldn't go to the class changeover like this, hot guilt slithered through his chest, Yuuki would have to handle it on her own, shame joined the guilt and they intertwined, swirling in Zero's core, he was always making Yuuki suffer and work harder because he put her aside for problems of his own.

He was selfish, Zero bite his lip, Yuuki should be more important than his problems caused his own shortcomings, why when he looked back, did everything that happened to him seem to preventable if he had just done something different?

A heavy weight seeped into Zero's limbs, doing nothing to numb the pain, but making it hard to move and think. Fuck, he wanted only to just fall asleep, to forget everything and feel nothing. It would be so much better than this agony.

Zero's head throbbed again, and he moaned weakly. It was terrible of him but today he couldn't help Yuuki. He wasn't strong enough to fight whatever was tormenting him.

* * *

 

Zero not showing up for the class changeover had worried Yuuki out of her mind, but after the way it had went she found herself struggling to fight the urge to (despite knowing she'd fail) tackle and pull his cheeks off when she found him.

What were the odds of that afternoons class changeover over being rare the one Zero missed while also being the one were the Day Class girls finally got sneaky and put together a diabolical, stupid plan?

Yuuki hadn't know what hit her when the Day Class girls put their plan into motion. She had been doing her job, bodily holding back girls and wondering when Zero would show up, when suddenly the girls quickly and efficiently formed three large groups.

It had been chaos. One group would surround and keep Yuuki busy, while the other two swooped upon their favorite Night Class members, giggling and chattering mindlessly. Their plan hadn't worked for long of course, Ichijo senpai and Kaname senpai had soon put a stop to it.

Yuuki was grateful for their help but at the same time she was incredibly embarrassed and ashamed. She was supposed to be a prefect, a member of the disciplinary committee, but she hadn't been able to do her job at all.

Kaname senpai had been very understanding and kind, he had blamed Zero entirely for the incident. But that only served to make Yuuki feel worse, she felt all of her annoyance towards Zero melt, didn't that mean that without Zero she was essentially useless?

Truthfully, he was the one the Day Class students really listened to, Yuuki was just a minor inconvenience.

Tears stung Yuuki's eyes, but she hurriedly blinked them away. She wasn't a little kid, she wasn't going to cry over something like this! The whole thing was already over and done. What was important right now was finding Zero and taking care of patrols.

Her worry returned as Yuuki remembered Zero. She quickly collected herself and continued to look for him. She knew that Zero wouldn't miss the class changeover unless it was for a good reason, but what that good reason might be was what troubled Yuuki most.

Often Yuuki wished that Zero would confide in her more. She wanted to help him but she couldn't while he was so distant, Kaname senpai was the same way. She could understand why sort of, Zero had obviously been through a lot that he still wasn't ready to share, and she didn't dare assume she was close enough to Kaname senpai for him to to rely on her.

But that didn't upset her any less, because she wanted to be closer to both of them, she wanted to help. They both needed someone, and she wasn't a little kid anymore. She might have known about vampires but sometimes Yuuki felt like she wasn't aware of what was going on anymore than the Day Class students were. And it was feeling Yuuki didn't like.

An entire hour, Yuuki searched for Zero, without finding a single trace.

'Where on earth was he!?' Yuuki thought desperately, he wasn't in the stables, nor in his room, and she was sure he wouldn't be at the headmaster's house.

She was on her way to check the headmaster's house anyway, but Yuuki had gotten a weird sense of foreboding from deep within and it made her heart clench with apprehension. She quickened her pace.

* * *

 

Cool irritation simmered in Kaname Kuran's chest as he stared through the class room window. Though the cause of his annoyance was not the actions of the Day class students that afternoon, that would not nearly enough to irritate Kaname. No, the cause of his displeasure was Kiryu.

The level D's absence had caused Yuuki discomfort in more ways than one, and Kaname knew that she had been quite worried about Kiryu as she left.

The irritation flared, he tolerated Kiryu's friendship with Yuuki if in turn he protected her, yet Kiryu behaved like this. He gave her needless worry, work and stress. He disliked seeing Yuuki suffering any of these things, and he would not allow Kiryu to continue the carelessness that caused them.

While, Kaname knew that he would not miss the class changeover for any juvenile reasons, it was still unacceptable for him to leave Yuuki to toil by herself.

It was only one class changeover and perhaps he should avoid making a mountain out of a mole hill but he disliked being lenient when a situation involved Yuuki. She was too important, and her happiness and wellbeing were a priority.

Unfortunately, Kiryu happened to be a part of her happiness. And that fact irked Kaname horribly, Kiryu seemed to play the role of Yuuki's brother when in reality, that position should have belonged to him. Kiryu took a more prominent role in her life, but that role should have been lawfully his. To be blunt, he was closer to her than he was and that was the unjust, cruel truth.

Jealous was not how he would describe himself but he could not deny that he longed more than once for what Kiryu had. It made him almost want to laugh, he, a privileged, powerful, respected pure blood, was lusting after the life that a mere level D had.

Though it did put things into perspective. It made one aware of the fact that despite his status, privilege and the upper hand he almost always had. He was still unsatisfied, Kaname was very much aware that by being born a pure blood, his life was a vastly different experience.

Yuuki's happiness was what he constantly strived and worked for, it was what he wanted most with all of his immortal heart, but despite this he often had to force himself to choose between her happiness and his own.

Making himself happy would be keeping her close and to himself, jealously guarding her smile, and that was selfish of him, so he would choose hers, but every time the decision grew harder and harder.

He knew that at the heart of it, it was because he loved her, he loved her and he wanted her to be happy, but because of his love he also desired her happiness to be beside him.

And for the time being that was were she was happy and most safe. But he often feared that someday her happiness and safety would not require him.

And that was why he was wary of Kiryu, he was using him to keep her safe but what if all Yuuki required to be safe and happy was Kiryu? He was a level D and that was the only thing keeping Kaname protected from the possibility that he would someday have to give Yuuki up.

Kaname's status as a pureblood was also a threat to her safety, many would not tolerate a human by his side, but Kaname was not sure the truly best decision was awakening Yuuki, would she be happy? Being a pureblood was just as hard as not being one.

Yuuki had lived most of her life as a human, would she be able to adjust? Would she want to? Life as a pureblood might be stifling to her, would the change dampen her smile? If given the choice what would Yuuki choose?

Alas, Kaname was born a pure blood and for him, there was no option. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to be born much simpler and unimportant.

It made you realize that being in the background wasn't as bad as it seemed. But for him to continue thinking of this was fruitless, he had been born an important player that pulled the strings.

There was no changing the cards life dealt him, he would continue to spin webs and pull stings until Yuuki was truly safe and by his side. For now Kaname needed to make sure that Kiryu, the knight on Kaname's chess board, remained a loyal servant to the queen.

It might seem terrible of him, but he had learned long ago that for the weak minds of humans and vampires alike, to stay in control, certain morals must be given up.

* * *

 

Zero tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep, his expression distressed and his complexion sickly. Had anyone been there to see him, he would have been almost unrecognizable, his cheeks were flushed feverishly and his skin glistened with sweat, his face twisted and eyebrows knit in a way that betrayed incredible pain. He looked nothing like the strong, stoic Zero that he usually was.

This Zero looked, fragile, weak and tired. The stressed expression on his face began to mount and slowly his breathing came more rapidly, there was a silent second of terror as his whole body tensed and his breathing stopped completely, then he opened his eyes wide and screamed.

Hot pain sliced through Zero, cutting harshly within his head. For a moment he couldn't register his own screams through the pain, but gradually they died down and turned into dry sobs as Zero clutched his head and stomach.

Breathing felt like terrible task, that he was struggling to remember how to do, his head was swimming and he barley registered that he was still in White Lily's stable and that she was standing beside him, gazing with worry.

Traces of sleep had completely left him, not that he had been refreshed. No, even in sleep he had plagued, Zero lurched forward and bile rose in his throat.

Bathroom. He had to find a bathroom. He couldn't throw up here, he shakily stood to his feet, falling over twice. Forcing one foot in front of the other, he stumbled out of the stable.

He didn't hear the concerned whinnies from Lily, the pounding in his head was now in his ears as well and it drowned everything else out.

Half bent over and holding his stomach, Zero staggered into the school halls and towards where he knew the nearest restroom was. His breathing became increasingly labored, he felt hot. To freaking hot. It burned and his stomach rolled unpleasantly.

Finally he burst through a door and into a school restroom. He practically threw himself over one of the toilets and then began to vomit. After what seemed like hours to Zero, he pulled away and fell back onto the floor, trembling.

The taste of tangy bile still clung to his mouth and he wiped viciously to rid his mouth of it. 'He's the cause of this. He's doing this to me' Zero thought despairingly, the stink of his own sick rose and clogged his senses.

Humiliation hung heavily over his chest, burning inside of him and caused moisture to prick his eyes. He clutched his sleeve and closed his eyes tightly to hold back the tears, silently praying that no one would come in and see him like this.

It was unbearable, with a simple push of pain the presence could bring him trembling to his knees. Zero felt destroyed. His chest squeezed painfully, and despite his best efforts, tears began to fall from his eyes.

He felt so damn embarrassed! He hated how pathetic and helpless he was. There was nothing he could do but let that thing tear him apart from within. He placed a hand over his mouth as he began to sob. He didn't know how to fight this! What was he supposed to do?!

It was as if he lay at his feet, bloody and broken. He was so damn humiliated. He raised an arm to cover his face, he didn't want anyone to see him, he wanted to hide, it hurt too, he would not admit it, but it hurt that he had done this to him, someone that knew so much about him, someone who had stabbed him in the back before.

He sobbed harder, sobbed with humiliation, sobbed because of the pain that still clouded his head, sobbed over his weakness.

Finally, exhausted emotionally and physically, the crying died down and Zero lay gingerly on the restroom floor. At last, the pain that had ripped through him for hours lifted and Zero breathed a sigh of great relief and gratitude.

He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, after all the he had been through constantly for twenty four hours, he was too drained to even think. But he couldn't he had to get up, he had to get up, he knew this, but a soft pitiful whimper left his lips at the thought of moving.

It felt as though someone were stroking his head and back, and Zero completely relaxed at the feeling, eyes heavily shut. 'It's all right, rest' it felt so nice to just drift, it would be wonderful to just fall asleep, 'I'm here, it's okay' it really was okay, and he was so tired, very tired.

'It's safe, you're safe' he felt warmth envelope him, 'I'm here, and you're safe. Rest' Zero slipped into sleep with a small smile on his face.

Barely a moment later, Zero's eyes blinked open, he sat slowly up and stretched, then after a seconds hesitation, proceeded to examine himself. He bent his his fingers experimentally and then his mouth stretched into a wide grin.

He got to his feet and brushed himself off, and looked around at the bathroom he was in, still grinning madly, "I apologize for the pain I put you through, Zero" he said offhandedly, "But you were being rather stubborn, and it's about time for a change, don't you think?" He laughed light heartedly.

He clapped his hands together, "Ah! And I forgot to tell you," he said mischievously, "I've given myself a name."

"Zareh, has a nice ring to it doesn't it?".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter a lot and I still don’t know how I feel about it but I love feedback even criticism (especially actually) so tell me what you think?


	4. Chapter 4

Walking swiftly through the forest surrounding the Night Dorms, Yuuki clutched her hunters weapon, the Artemis Rod, uneasily.

Normally, she would have it tucked away from sight beneath her school skirt, but tonight was different, tonight Zero hadn't show up for patrols and she had searched almost everywhere on the school grounds for him without finding a trace.

Earlier she had gone to the headmaster, thinking that, he, her and Zero's self proclaimed father would be concerned and help her look, or maybe tell her that Zero was off on some mission, but the headmaster had simply told her that Zero had probably just gone ahead and started patrolling without her and that, she, his adorable daughter shouldn't worry so much.

Understandably, she hadn't been very convinced. It just didn't add up…

Yuuki sighed sadly, she might not think the headmaster was quite right about the reason for Zero's disappearance, but she hoped desperately that he was.

An unexpected rustle from a tree just feet away from Yuuki made her stop dead in her tracks. In the blink of an eye, she was gripping Artemis defensively in front of herself, as she scanned the shadowy trees distrustfully.

The darkness betrayed nothing out of the ordinary. It was as still and quiet as it had been before, but Yuuki didn't let her guard down, the feeling that someone (or something) was watching her was to strong. Suddenly, a black blur dropped heavily to the ground right behind Yuuki, and it made her squeak in surprise and stumble forward.

Disoriented, Yuuki tried to recover herself. She spun around and fell clumsily onto her backside before crying "Ouch!". Now she felt alarmed and somewhat embarrassed, what a stupid way to die, she thought distractedly, making an idiot out of herself one last time before the murderer offed her.

She was trying to struggle to her feet when very familiar chuckling filled her ears, she gasped and looked up, and lo and behold, it was Zero was standing above her, chuckling.

Gaping, open mouthed at him, she struggled to form a sentence, "Zero! You- where? Where were!- what?", Zero laughed and Yuuki stared dumbly at the sight.

Still chuckling and shaking his head, he bent down and grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. He grinned and cocked an eyebrow at her, "Aren't you the security around here? You should be more alert.", Relief flooded Yuuki, overpowering any annoyance she might have felt, and she threw her arms around him a breathy gasp.

"I thought something had happened to you!" She cried. Zero's lip curled in disgust at her hug, and he pried her away from his chest, then smiled tightly, "I'm fine, Yuuki.", Yuuki bit her lip, not satisfied with the vague answer, she gripped his sleeve and continued, "Where were you? I couldn't find you anywhere-", Zero interrupted her "I was taking a nap inside the school building."

Yuuki furrowed her brow in confusion, "Inside the school building? But-", Zero patted her cheek distractedly, while looking distractedly behind her "Yes, odd, now we should continue with the patrols. Yes?", she nodded hesitantly and he smirked, "Good."

Yuuki gazed at his retreating back with a bemused glint in her eyes. She wasn't the smartest person in the world but Yuuki wasn't quite sure she recognized the way Zero had acted, it just… wasn't him. Wasn't his usual attitude.

She shook her head fervently. She was looking to far into it, he must just be in a good mood, and she just wasn't used to it, or maybe the stress was getting to her, that's all. Yes, that must be it.

* * *

 

After patrolling and then later bidding Yuuki goodnight, Zareh practically skipped back to Zero's dorm room. He swung the door open, swaggered in, and tossed his jacket off carelessly onto the bed, he couldn't hold back a self satisfied grin when he stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

It really couldn't have gone more perfect. He was finally in possession of Zero's body! He winked cheekily at his reflection, casting aside how strange his expressions were on Zero's face.

He fucking won, bitch~ they can keep their puppets and chess pieces but he had just laid down a royal flush. Sure, he had to lay out the rest of his plan but the game was as good as his~ Zero had been the only serious obstacle, and now Zareh had obtained his body.

And what a beautiful body it was too~ call him a narcissist but you couldn't deny he was delicious. Honestly, he would use Zero's body far better than Zero would and did. Of course he hadn't intended to put him through quite that much pain to get it but Zero had been so stubborn.

On a different note, he hadn't know what to expect when he had met Yuuki, he had seen her through Zero's eyes and memories before but he had never really 'met' her. Good heavens Zero had bad taste! He could only hope that he had only fallen for her because no one else talked to him.

He chuckled to himself, she had been amusing at first, but after the first two hours he had been ready to rip the sweet dear's head off. He laughed heartily ' _pop it clean off!'_

A good laugh like that was just what he needed! Ah but Zero would be unbearably tragic about it.. well leave it to him to spoil his fun.

Zareh winced as his throat burned irritably. Ah yes, that. Earlier that night he had been unpleasantly surprised with the fact that he had possessed him just in time to deal with his bloodlust. Joy.

Well one thing was certain, with a sneer Zareh took the blood tablets from his pocket and promptly dumped them in the sink, he was not drinking those things.

Zero was foolish for trying to use them despite his obvious intolerance, and besides, they tasted like crap. While thinking this Zareh turned the water on to wash the tablets down the drain.

He licked his lips gleefully, they were going to dine like the kings they were! Oh where to begin?~ and where to not be caught? He didn't have Zero's morals but he'd rather not have to explain his way out of something awkward.

Best to keep his dirty secrets to himself~ Zero would thank him later, or not but it was all what was best for him really.

In the end, Zero wouldn't have a choice, because Zareh was taking control of far more than just him, the world was his, and there was nothing to stop him from making himself comfy.

Humming cheerfully to himself, he turned off the water after all the tablets were safely down the pipes, and strode back into the bedroom. He began to change into his sleep wear but not before spending a good chunk of time admiring his body.

Living like a person and not like a voice in someone's head was truly fantastic! And Zareh was not about to give it up so easily, Zero could bitch and moan, (and he would bitch and moan, it was only matter of time before he started trying to take his body back) but it was his turn now.

* * *

Warm and dark were all Zero could register, he drifted through them, emotions muted and barely stirring. It was like he was on the edge of sleep, any thoughts he had were mostly nonsensical and fleeting. He remembered none of them.

It went on like this for hours, days, maybe years. He could have drifted like that for centuries and not have know the difference from a minute and forever.

But had prodded at him and draw him to something like awareness, he was talking to someone. How? It was someone… familiar, someone he knew. Who? Who did he know?

Discomfort curled around him. It would go away as long as he slept, if he submitted it would leave. But Zero didn't want to, he was curious, something wasn't right, something was very, very wrong.

He had sunken deep into the warm and dark, and it was almost impossible to gather thoughts and attempt to think. Why should he? It was so hard and draining… it was safe here. Why should he want to leave?

No. He struggled, he wanted to move and think. Who was talking to him? The dark warmth that had been comfortable and welcoming before was now suffocating and dragging him down, forcibly ripping away emotion and thoughts.

Yet he still struggled, fought against the unknown force that held him down and apart. But it was becoming harder, the force promised him warmth and comfort again. It would be so easy to just slip away.

It enveloped him and coaxed his grip gently away from reality. It told him so much, whispering sweet vows of safety, it would hide him from unpleasantry, keep ghosts and nightmares at bay, if only he submitted.

He couldn't help it. He allowed the tension and fight in him to bleed out, and the dark and warmth returned, heavier and deeper than before, pulling him lovingly beneath the surface.

* * *

 

Kaien Cross sighed tiredly, laying halfway on his desk. He was sure his dear son, Zero, was the cause of half of his gray hairs. So mean and cruel to his poor hardworking Papa, it wasn't easy being a headmaster after all, he deserved more pity!

Couldn't Zero see that he was just a single father trying to make it in a cold, uncaring world?! Had he no compassion?! It was nice to see all his love and hard efforts unappreciated!

He made Yuuki worry too! If only he relied on his daddy more, he wouldn't have to disappear by himself like that anymore. Kaien shook his head sadly, it wasn't that he didn't understand though, what Zero went through on a daily basis was more than any seventeen year old should have too.

If Zero had someone he trusted and could rely on, that would be ideal. Zero trusted Yuuki but he doubted that Zero felt like he could confide in her.

No, he wouldn't want to burden Yuuki with his troubles. He probably wasn't comfortable talking about them either. But Kaien knew that it wasn't healthy for him to keep it all bottled inside like that, Zero needed to accept what happened to his parents.

When Zero had first arrived at the headmaster's home, Kaien had felt his heart go out to the thirteen year old, he had such a stoic and cold look on his face, but he had seen how broken he was as well. He had wanted to heal Zero and bring him into his and Yuuki's small family.

And in a way, he had become a part of their family. But he had never stopped being distant, try as they might, him and Yuuki couldn't replace his old family, and his thirst for revenge against Shizuka was proof that Zero hadn't gotten over their deaths.

Maybe he thought that by killing Shizuka he would finally have closure. But Kaien knew better, after killing Shizuka, Zero would just feel empty and lost. It might break him. Zero needed to move on and find more in life than just killing vampires.

Zero needed family, a friend, or a lover, anyone as long as they were a person that Zero could finally lean on.

Kaien had many goals in life, he wanted to achieve peace between two races that were so much more alike then they realized, he wanted to protect and raise the daughter of his dear friend, and he wanted to help Zero in anyway possible.

Despite how much Zero denied it, he was still as much a son to Kaien as Yuuki was a daughter. They were his family and he would defend and nurture them, through any storm they had to weather. They were his children, blood related or not.

Kaien gazed unseeingly through the window while pondering these things, but suddenly he jumped to his feet with an undignified squawk.

"MY TEA WATER! Sweet mercy, I left the stove on!" He stumbled from behind his desk and over his floppy slippers, "Goodness! This is why I need someone taking care of _me_!".

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Here’s another chapter, I hope you enjoy it! A couple parts made me wince a little but i think it turned out okay


	5. Chapter 5

Without much trouble, Zareh seamlessly imitated Zero throughout his classes, only encountering minor errors. Finally, the day was drawing to a close and he now stood beside Yuki glaring perfectly stoic at the Day class students that were waiting for the Night class to walk through the gate.

While his outer appearance displayed nothing out the ordinary, Zareh's mind was working rapidly as he subtly scanned the students.

The Day class students that worshipped the ground the Night class walked on~ they weren't going to be a threat to any plans he had, not that he had thought they would be but better safe than sorry, correct? Though they had potential to be annoying little shits~ For their sakes he hoped they wouldn't get in the way.

No, actually for his sake he hoped they wouldn't get in the way because he really wouldn't even consider not killing one of them if they got caught in the wrong place, and having to clean up a murder would slow him down and that just wasn't on his list of approved drawbacks~

His gaze shifted to Yuki, and he had to hold back a wide annoyed grin. And the root of all pests herself! Yuki freaking Cross! ~ the brat had stuck to him like a bur in between every class. She was a problem, she was close to Zero, and way to fucking close to Zero!~

She had noticed something was off about Zero. And Zareh had no problem with simply killing her to save himself the trouble of doing it later when she destroyed a plan he worked hard on, but unfortunately she was also close to Kuran!~

The girl was just lucky wasn't she~ and that brought another player to the table. Kaname Kuran, a pureblood who really ought to keep his nose out of others business~

He would be trouble. Ah~ but what fun would it be if he didn't get to dethrone the king of manipulation himself? Unlike Zero, Zareh held nothing against vampires really~ but he couldn't rule his own little kingdom of chaos while Kuran and Council interrupted.

The same could be said for the Vampire Hunter Association (a rather pretentious name if he did say so himself), they were all obstacles~ they might make wonderful opponents for fun little games but, it was about time the world of vampires and hunters was taught some manners and respect.

Starting with Kaname Kuran. Zareh was brought out of his thoughts when the gate finally swung open and the fangirls shrieked shrilly at the sight of their beloved Night class. Zareh was beginning to see why Zero dreaded the class changeover~

Besides the whole " I despise seeing Kuran part" that is~ Zero was always somewhat dramatic when Kuran was involved~ Zareh felt Kuran's eyes bore into him with the intensity to make a grown man shiver. 'Speak of the devil and he shall appear~' he thought cheerfully.

Zareh merely tilted his head away and ingnored him then proceeded to glance (still wearing a fake glare) over the Night class with concealed interest. Kuran's lapdogs then? They weren't very intimidating~ though they could present problems if they became guard dogs~

How odd that he had seen them and others so many times through Zero's eyes and memories and yet he wasn't acquainted at all~ the mind was mysterious. He supposed it was like hearing someone else's opinion rather than knowing them personally.

It didn't matter of course~ he was here to stay now, and he had plenty of time to get "acquainted"~

Zareh bit back a vicious smile as he caught sight of Kuran making his way over to Yuki and himself. How delightful! The game was starting already~

                  ————

When he had first stepped through the gate with the rest of the Night class, Kaname's first instinct was to glance around for Yuki. But when he spotted her, his eyes immediately slid towards the young hunter standing next to her.

Strangely, Kiryu only glanced briefly at him before looking away, almost nonchalantly if Kaname didn't know any better. A nearly undetectable frown formed on his face. That was unlike him, in most cases before, the prefect would glare darkly at him until Kaname looked away.

Kaname studied him for a moment longer, a surreal feeling creeping inside of him. In fact, now that his attention had been drawn to it, he could see many slight things off about Kiryu. (Including the small change in his behavior) His stance was different somehow, and the scowl that graced his face was somewhat stiff and unfamiliar to Kaname.

To an outsider it might seem odd for Kaname to see these normally unnoticeable differences, but Kaname was vehement about knowing his surroundings and the people around him well enough that he never completely lost control of them.

His mood grew cool and serious. Kiryu's actions of late was not customary and that could potentially be a dangerous problem for him. Many of Kaname's plans involved him and his cooperation, so without them those plans could be crippled.

He narrowed his eyes, this had been a weakness that he had considered but a risk he thought worth taking at the time, apparently he had relied to much upon the assumption that Kiryu's personality would only benefit him.

The change had to be examined before he made any further moves. So Kaname began making his way over to Yuki and the ex human.

A soft smile graced his face as he greeted Yuki with a kind, "Good morning, Yuki." But it died as soon as he turned towards the hunter. Not noticing, Yuki clutched her sleeves as she blushed, but managed to stutter out a good morning, even as the girls behind her glared jealously.

Kaname's focus, however, was completely on Kiryu as he observed his reactions. The hunter's glare had deepened when Kaname came over but his eyes were oddly blank and lacked the spark that Kiryu usually had.

"Do you need something, Kuran?" He spat, the pureblood didn't answer immediately but after a moment he replied, "I simply wished to make sure everything was alright, in light of recent events it seemed like the right thing to do."

Kiryu's expression didn't change, "Its none of your business if I'm fine or not. Don't pretend that you care which.", Yuki gasped with indignation on Kuran's behalf and looked as if she wanted to slap the hunter's arm.

Kaname had to keep himself from raising an eyebrow. This was something Kiryu would say, however it had not been delivered the same way Kiryu would. The hunter, for some reason, didn't seem to have the same strong emotion that he normally did, and for some reason it was starting to irk the pureblood.

But instead of displaying his displeasure Kaname simply smiled again and said "I apologize for making you uncomfortable then." He turned to Yuki and his smile turned more gentle, "Thank you for all the trouble you go to Yuki."

Yuki, who had been busy trying dissuade any assumptions that the girls behind her made (read: blushing and stuttering that she and Kaname senpai weren't like that) was caught off guard by Kaname's sudden attention and nearly jumped out of her shoes with surprise.

"Oh! W-well it's my duty and really no trouble so you don't have to thank me!" Yuki said in a rush, impossibly red. Kaname nodded lightly, "All the same.", Kiryu smothered a snort.

Ignoring him, Kaname proceeded to follow the rest of the Night class. The brief exchange had been rather informative despite its shortness, and something had clearly happened to bring about this subtle change in the level D.

Though whatever it was or what it might entail, was most likely unfavorable.

                —————

Zareh held back the laughter bubbling in his throat as Kuran walked away. How perfect Kuran had been! How subtly he had studied him! Kuran was no fool and he knew something had changed. It made Zareh smirk inwardly, how wonderful it would be having such an intelligent opponent~

"Zero, Kaname senpai only asked if you were alright. You didn't have to be so rude…", Zareh winced as Yuuki's annoying voice pierced his ears. Disgust curled within him, disrupting his good mood.

He turned to her, plastering the stony "Zero" frown back on his face. "He didn't mean a word of what he said." He said coolly, Yuki looked away with a forlorn, disappointed look on her face, "Still..". Zareh had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, clearly she was bothered by his attitude, but Zareh could not bring himself to give a shit like Zero would.

The whiny little brat always found something to be upset by~ so why should he fucking care now? He was an actor not an overflowing source of patience and motivation to deal with her crap~

Moving away from Yuki, Zareh glanced around at the mostly empty space surrounding them that had been full of Day class students not too long ago. "We're done." He said bluntly, before turning and leaving, ignoring Yuuki's feeble attempts to call out to him.

He didn't stop the disgusted look that crossed his face this time. He was going to kill her someday if she didn't learn to shut up.

Honestly, he could not understand how Kuran and Zero absolutely pined over her~ it was a huge weakness just waiting to be exposed by him. But he supposed he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth~

                 —————

In the long run it probably wasn't a good idea for Hanabusa to sneak out of the Night dorms to wander the campus as he pleased, and it would probably end with him being punished by Kaname sama. But that was a problem for future him. Present him was going to enjoy freedom while he could.

Classes had ended some time earlier and the Night class had returned to their dorm as usual. But Hanabusa had felt agitated and restless, normally he was full of energy and ready to spend his evening bad mouthing Kiryu with his cousins (Ruka mainly, Akatsuki didn't care), or enthusiastically discussing Kaname sama's many merits (read: fangirling over).

But from time to time, like tonight, Hanabusa's mind was weighed down by heavier things. What he really wanted was to just be alone for a while. But in the dorms it was nearly impossible to find somewhere private, and he had steadily begun to feel more and more suffocated.

So the obvious solution was to leave the dorms. Now, Hanabusa wasn't necessarily rebellious by nature, but he did have a habit of breaking rules he didn't think important or serious enough for his attention, when he really wanted to. And so he had snuck out when he was certain everyone else was preoccupied. Now, strolling aimlessly through the forest trees, he finally felt at ease. Hanabusa took a deep breath of cool air, and sighed with relief. It felt nice.

The quiet was comfortable and helped him organize his thoughts better. He didn't mind loud environments as much as Akatsuki did, but this peaceful atmosphere was what he needed right then.

Speaking of Akatsuki, he knew it was only a matter of time before his cousin would show up and drag him back to the dorms to be punished by Kaname sama, not because he liked seeing him in trouble of course. Hanabusa knew that Akatsuki did it for his own good, and he probably wasn't even mad at him when he did, just frustrated that he had gotten into trouble and he was dragged into it like always, he seemed to think Hanabusa was an idiot.

He scoffed, "seemed"? He knew Akatsuki thought he was an idiot, he had said so before. He didn't really blame him though, he had done dumb things before. But he wasn't an idiot, and that was something nobody really saw. He didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse.

Hanabusa was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of faint foot falls, and he let out a soft groan. Well it looked like his little escapade was coming to a close.

That didn't stop him from climbing into a tree while poorly trying to mask his presence of course, if he could sneak back to the dorms without facing consequences he was going to. Slowly he peered through the tree branches for waiting for Akatsuki to come into view.

But to his surprise it wasn't his cousin that appeared, but Kiryu, walking slowly and low to the ground. Hanabusa's eyebrows rose with surprise and bewilderment, the prefects didn't usually patrol this far out, did they? In back of his mind he absently noted that surprised he had heard Kiryu coming at all, usually the prefect was too quiet to be heard.

As silently as possible, Hanabusa edged forward on his branch. Shock flooded through him and he nearly fell out of his tree, ex human's eyes were glowing bright red, and burned with thirst. It was true that Hanabusa was already aware of Kiryu being a level D, but the sight of him so.. vampire like somehow solidified the knowledge.

His eyes weren't the only sign of bloodlust though, Kiryu's breathing was fast and shallow as well, and ever so often his lips would part to reveal long white fangs.

Hanabusa felt a lightheaded, but he quickly regained control of himself and shook his head to clear it, for some reason seeing Kiryu like that had shocked him. He watched as the thirsty hunter continued to walk past the tree he was hiding in and further away from the Academy.

Uneasy confusion filled Aido's chest, Kiryu was obviously thirsty so why hadn't he taken some blood tablets? Why was he heading away from the Academy in that state? Hanabusa bit his lip as he watched Kiryu's steadily retreating figure.

He should leave, he should just head back to the dorms and mind his own business, that was the smart thing to do. But he didn't even know if Kiryu was in his right mind currently, what if he attacked someone? But Kiryu was a hunter it went against his nature.

Curiosity begged him to find out where Kiryu was going, but Hanabusa's doubts still held him back. He growled in frustration, should he follow him or not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! Big thank you to everyone who leaves a comment/kudos! They really motivate me. Any advice is welcome too


	6. Chapter 6

Excitement thrummed through Zareh's veins, a drive deep and primal pushed him forward with barely controlled savagery. _He breathed in._ he smelt the air, he tasted it. Surrounding him, he could almost feel the presence of the forest and life in it. _He breathed out._ Disappointingly, there was still no hint of the strong smell of blood that he craved.

There would be soon though~ the burning in his throat would be cooled by the metallic tang of a human's life source. He would hunt, he would _tear_ , **_he would take._** He inhaled sharply and his fangs throbbed.

Dark instincts Zero had rejected so long were now coming to the surface and Zareh let them overtake him without hesitation. Yes~ this felt right. This was how it should be. Zero was an idiot for rejecting his vampire side. For rejecting nature's assistance she willingly gave her natural predators~

Zareh's eyes flashed with a wild animalistic glint. Stalking through the shadows, he used them to effectively conceal himself. He crept into the brush hiding himself completely from view, then smelled the air. He was close.

Bloodlust had struck Zareh unexpectedly early in the night, and he had barely kept the presence of mind to distance himself from the academy. He couldn't afford to lose himself there. But elsewhere, well that was fair game~

His connection with the vampire side of Zero was deep, making it easier for him to resist losing his head and tearing into an innocent victim. His will and control were weakening however, the savagery of a level E almost impossible to hold. Zareh with all his arrogance, reveled in the feeling of power his beast like instincts gave him.

Nevertheless, he pushed forward driven by something he refused to believe he had no control over. The excitement swirling through him at the prospect of drinking real **_blood_** , threatened to boil over into a frenzy. He closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath, he had to resist thinking of it~ but _oh!_ How would it taste?

Feeding from the direct source was a privilege that was taken for granted, and yet he had never the pleasure of experiencing it. But that would change~ oh that was changing!~ the delight that Zero had deprived them both of would soon be his to gorge himself on.

He could almost feel it. _Hot metallic and tangy, sliding down his throat, so hot it felt as though it should burn, so much of it, a flow of blood that felt never ending-_ His eyes rolled and his cheeks flushed. Dark slipped at the edge of his vision, his consciousness was being tugged away and replaced by animalistic madness- a strangled gasp escaped his lips and his eyes flew open.

Breathing unevenly, he gently wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Now that, was dangerous~ he smirked weakly and licked his lips. He needed to move faster, for unfortunately his near level E body was a large drawback (a problem he would remedy before feeding in the future~).

But thankfully he was close, and soon his lust for blood would be satisfied~ Zareh breathed in the smell of blood from thousands of bodies ahead as he gazed at the small human city.

~~~

In the next bed over, her friend, Yori, slept soundly. But Yuki, head swirling with thoughts and emotions, found herself unable to lay down or sleep, and so she sat on the edge of her bed staring with clouded, unseeing eyes out her window.

‘Zero…’ Yuki swallowed, trying to force down the ache in heart that came with his name. He was so distant and cold lately.. it hurt. She had always hated how far away he seemed, and now it had grown even worse. Was it something she had done? Zero had never completely shut her out like this.

‘Why?’ she thought quietly. She didn’t understand. She wanted to help, so why did she seem to keep messing up? Her lip began to tremble, but she bit it softly. She only wished she knew what she had done to make him drift further away. Obviously, she had to have done something because despite everything, Zero always used to at least have a small soft spot for her.

It was embarrassing to admit, even to herself, that as much as Yuki wanted to get Zero to open up more, the small exceptions he gave her had made her feel special.

But- but today, Zero had barely even glanced at her. Tears gathered in Yuki’s eyes. Zero meant _so much_ to her, and the way he treated her today, I-it had hurt. Yuki failed to hold back a small sob.

It wasn’t even a big deal, she knew that! She knew she was being too sensitive, but the treatment that was so different from usual felt like Zero was actively pushing her away. The last few days were just now getting to Yuki, and she didn’t try to stop the tears that had begun to flow down her face.

She just wanted to help Zero. She just wanted to be there for him! More than she had before now that it felt like she was losing him. Why did it have to be so hard? She was miserable and useless. Yuki looked down, watching her teardrops drip from her cheeks onto her hands.

Would she never be able to protect Zero like he did her? Would she always be a burden? Is that… is that why Zero was ignoring her? She bit her lip to stop a whimper. No! No. A rush of certainty and anger towards herself filled her. She lifted a hand wiped away her tears.

Zero cared about her! And she cared about him just as much! He wouldn’t abandon her, no matter what Yuki was sure that he would be there for her. Zero had always supported her, how could she doubt him like that! She looked up with determination. And now she had to be stronger, she had to start supporting Zero too!

Filled with new purpose, Yuki’s face brightened a little. She would show Zero she trusted him and that he could do the same with her. Hopefully her and Zero were fine after all. Today had just been a bad day and she had overreacted.

Yuki scrubbed the remaining moisture away from her eyes. For now she would sleep and talk to Zero tomorrow. She pulled back her covers and climbed into her bed. Snuggling deep into her blankets, she gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully.

Something had obviously happened to Zero recently, and whether it was her fault or not, she going to try and make it right. Growing up with Zero made her feel as though they had a special bond, she knew things about Zero no one else did. It was her job to take care of him too.  
Feeling emotionally drained and rather exhausted after crying, Yuki slowly began to drift away to dream land. Head filled with all the good memories of her and Zero that she could recall, she went to sleep with a small smile.

~~~

It’s not always wise to ignore your gut feelings or instincts, especially when they’re urging you to immediately stop and flee. But, Hanabusa was a man of science. He had never walked away because of a “bad feeling”, and he wouldn’t start now.

So when his skin began to crawl and paranoia climbed up his throat, the warning bells in his head went off instantly, begging him to leave before it was too late. But the noble shook them away, while mentally chiding himself being irrational.

Slowly, Kiryu was drawing further away. And Hanabusa, still torn, took a few hesitant steps before glancing back. Was it really a good idea? What if Akatsuki was looking for him this very moment? It was unlikely but if Kiryu caught him trailing after him…

His eyes stared into the night where he thought he could just barely make Kiryu out. A question he couldn’t push from his mind came crawling back. _Where was he headed?_ almost unconsciously he began carefully walking after him. The blond’s curiosity having made the decision for him, Hanabusa followed as close as he dared. All the while, quietly trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

~~~

Staring with wide eyes, Hanabusa tried to process the sight he was witnessing. Kiryu was entering a mainly human populated area while craving blood. _Kiryu_ the hunter and hater of all vampires was stalking into human city with full on bloodlust. It didn’t matter how much he repeated it in his his head, he still couldn’t wrap his brain around it.

Kiryu was a hunter, it didn’t make sense! Why would he do something so dangerous and risky? It went against his nature and personality! Unless.. Kiryu was so overcome by his vampire side he wasn’t in his right mind. Aido swallowed nervously. But-! But why would he let himself get so out of hand?

What about the blood tablets? Why didn’t he take them? The situation didn’t make sense and it didn’t sit well with the young aristocrat. There were too many whys and hows, none of it made sense. Kiryu couldn’t be doing this purposefully right?

His eyes narrowed and lips tightened. Despite his better judgment Hanabusa followed Kiryu into the dark city.

No matter, it had to be something else. Because it couldn’t be what he thought it was, it was ridiculous to even consider it a moment longer. Kiryu wasn’t that type of person, as much as he hated him, Aido could admit that much. It was something else, it had to be.

Uneasily, Hanabusa was led through shadowy streets and alleyways. The level D seemed to be searching for something, ‘what’ he didn’t know. But he was put on edge every time, Kiryu would suddenly stop and rapidly dart his bright red eyes about, remaining eerily focused.

With bated breath, Aido watched him. Faltering, Kiryu’s steps slowly came to a stand still, minutes dragged by but Kiryu stood stone still, and noble grew more agitated with every second.

He didn’t like this at all, he felt painfully aware that he shouldn’t be there. It would have been so easy for him to have simply walked back to the Moon dorm, so why on earth hadn’t he done it when he had the chance?

With shocked dread he watched a feral, out of place, grin spread across Kiryu’s lips. And with speed he didn’t know the hunter had, Kiryu ducked into a nearby alley. Hanabusa, unsure but terrified of what he would most likely soon see take place, silently gave chase.

~~~

Hazy, he felt high on the intoxicating feeling of his instincts thrumming through his body and influencing his every move, yet Zareh still remained vividly aware of his surroundings. He carefully crept across the empty streets letting primal urges guide his feet. Slipping into the sheltering, narrow ways that twisted into a network across the city, he headed down town.

Carefully straining his ears and eyes, once in a while he lifted his eyes and searched for a trace of disturbance, or a _shadow_. When deemed safe he would move on. Fluttering his scarlet eyes shut, he breathed in the air, searching it. So close~ so soon, he would _feed_ ~ it made him shiver with anticipation and excitement. The craving in his chest driving him mad would be sated.

Blood seemed to thrum so close in the heartbeats of the city around him. He had to fight to not lose his mind and attack the nearest breathing body he could find. He clenched his teeth and focused on the aura and smells he was steadily taking in then letting out.

He had gone downtown because his instincts led him there, to a place were crime and lowlives flocked together in abundance~ a place with easy blood, a place where a clever mind could get away with murder~ suddenly stopping, Zareh opened his eyes slowly. _He smelt it_ , a body that was intoxicated and unsteady. _Weak_. 

A female, alone, _defenseless prey_. He bared his fangs with a wide grin and followed her scent down the damp alley, he turned onto a small dark abandoned street and as the woman’s scent drew closer he shrouded himself on the black, shaded side of the buildings, slowing his footsteps to a careful silent stride.

A young woman came into view around the corner, swaying unsteadily on her heels, laughter falling from her lips as she stumbled forwards, unaware of the threat at hand. But Zareh creeped just paces away in the shadows, his body shuddering at the smell of her unshed blood.

His fangs throbbed, the body in front of him was pulsing with blood. Veins stretched all throughout her but his gaze zeroed in on her neck, open, bare and vulnerable. 

Swallowing did nothing to ease the dryness of his throat, a smell of blood curled around him, thirst thrummed in him, aching in his fangs, pounding in his chest and mind. Tense as an unsprung trap he crept forward. the delicate neck tilted unaware of how it was offering itself up.   
Zerah opened his mouth just enough for his fangs to peek through, preparing to sink them into the flesh drawing nearer, his prey remained calm and blissfully ignorant until it was too late.

He barely thought, his vampire side controlled his movements and his mind acted by instinct. His vision swirled black at the corners and his gaze never left the woman’s red veins. Lust for the blood he had craved for so long was the only thought that filled him.

It happened quickly with unseen movements and for split instance the woman was giggling drunkenly while mumbling to herself, a second later teeth were digging into her throat with precision, sucking blood greedily. A curled hand stopped the screams that flew from the victim’s mouth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! The chapter is short and crappy like usual nonetheless I hope you enjoy it! I like kudos but I love comments  
> I’ll take either


	7. Chapter 7

Blood flowed nonstop down Zareh’s throat, gushing so freely it spilled over the unfortunate victim’s neck and deeply stained her clothing a dark red. But Zareh could only register bliss as the hot blood soothed his burning need, while coating his tastebuds with the metallic, tangy and delicious liquid. For any human, even the thought would make bile rise to their mouths, but vampires reveled in it.

A muffled groan of appreciation left his lips as Zareh dug his fangs deeper into the warm neck. _Heavenly_ , the delight of taking from this human’s stream of life was intoxicating~ it was a course of action so natural as a vampire, and was embedded deep down within his being. His beast like nature rejoiced in it.

Waves of pleasure and satisfaction were sent sliding over and through him. He felt hazy, his mind overwhelmed by dark instincts and vampire thirst. This is what Zero had abhorred? The poor fool had missed so much~ he swallowed yet another mouthful, savoring the feeling of it slipping down. Poor Zero, _poor thoughtless Zero~_

The blood would not stave off the perhaps eventual fall but then if not why resist? It didn’t accelerate the process by any means or he would not have risked it, Zareh had no intention of completely losing his mind to the level E but if Zero was sure he must kill himself before it was too late then why did he wish to suffer in his last moments? If he admitted he was a beast then why not accept the inescapable~ But alas, he had never understood the workings of Zero’s mind even if he could read it.

Zareh chuckled madly to himself. But does it taste good Zero? This blood that’s entering our body? _Drink it~_ His fangs slowly slid out of the woman’s flesh only to harshly impale another patch of unmarked skin further down her neck. Darkness slid round the edge of his vision, and suddenly he found himself giddy. _Isn’t it wonderful? Doesn’t it feel right? Zero~_

Bite becoming much rougher, his teeth tore and ripped at skin unnecessarily, and he took delight in it. The savagery filling him with excitement. Thankfully the girl had passed out long ago, sparing her the torture Zareh inflicted on her unconscious body. Her blood and the scent of it was everywhere, covering not only the woman but now the vampire latched onto her neck.

 _If you will not satisfy our body’s thirst then I must Zero~_  The dormant place where Zero lay sleeping stirred restlessly, but Zareh no longer had the self-possession to realize the potential consequences of his mindless words. High on blood and overwhelming vampirism in his body, sanity took temporary leave.

Features and appearance so twisted and stained by Zareh and crimson, what was once Zero was unrecognizable. The woman sagged lifelessly in his grip, her blood everywhere and Zareh’s eyes burning bright red as if to mock their victim. The scene painted a picture that was undeniably vampire. Dark, ruthless and animalistic.

 _I want you to taste it~ feel it, the blood I’m feeding you. Embrace this madness, Zero, for that is what vampires are~_ Jerking his fangs still buried in the girl one last time, Zareh tore them out and licked the wounds he had left, purring with contentment. He wanted to stay, to quite literally devour the human in his grasp, however even through the dark fog that had settled over his mind, he forced himself to follow the steps he had set for himself. He had worked too hard to lose now.

Reluctantly Zareh let the limp body in his arms drop heavily to the street ground. Stepping smoothly over the woman, he pulled off his blood covered jacket, slung it over his shoulder and as if the events just moments before never took place he swiftly walked away, leaving the unconscious female in his wake.

* * *

Disbelief, shock and horror were painted across Hanabusa’s features. He was frozen, unable to take his eyes away from the disturbing scene in front of him. It was disgusting to even him, a vampire. He was tensely hidden away in the dark just a ways off, eyes wide and filled with denial. Hanabusa could not believe what he was seeing but had to, this couldn’t be Kiryu yet it was. What he had thought would happen, he didn’t know, but never could he have suspected this.

Kiryu despised vampires, and he hated that they drank blood. But then why?! Why would he do a thing like this? Had he really lost control, was he falling to Level E? But it didn’t matter, Kiryu had done something inexcusable, something he would have shot anyone else for. Hanabusa was uncertain and alarmed, but he knew he had to take some form of action, he couldn’t stand by and watch.

Never before had he regretted witnessing something so much. He wanted to creep away and erase this from his mind, he didn’t want this heavy responsibility on his shoulders, why couldn’t it have been anyone else? Thoughts like such flooded his mind. But there was no way out, he was the sole witness, and he had two choices before him.

Quickly, he had to make a decision. Aido’s mind worked furiously as he clenched his teeth and hesitated on what to do. His eyes flickered to Kiryu then the woman who’s blood was shed so carelessly it was making his own mouth start to water. He shook himself then took a small step back. He couldn’t help her, it was a sacrifice he didn’t want to make but it was more important to tell Kaname sama about this.

Willing his legs to move he slowly backed away, he couldn’t run, not yet, not if it might accidentally alert Kiryu. It was agonizingly slow as precious minutes seemed to slip swiftly through his fingers, but finally he deemed himself far enough away and without a second to lose, Hanabusa turned on his heel and ran like his life depended on it.

Ducking through the alleys in which he had followed Kiryu, he ran through the twisting maze of backstreets in the rundown part of the city. His feet could not go fast enough, pounding on the cobbled stones and carrying him further to his goal yet not as rapidly as he thought necessary.

Suddenly and without any warning, a strong force slammed into Aido’s side and knocked him off balance. He stumbled sideways, trying and failing to regain his footing before he was slammed into a building wall. His breath was harshly knocked out of him and he clenched his eyes shut in pain. But when amused chuckles prompted Hanabusa to open them again, he was unsurprised but deeply disappointed to see it was Kiryu, holding him against the wall.

The sick grin on Kiryu’s face grew, making the noble shiver. However he only glared at the ex-human and cooly said “Get off.” With air becoming colder it was clear Hanabusa intended to use his ice on the other, however Kiryu remained nonchalant and moved one of his hands upward to rest on Aido’s throat. “Don’t be violent~” he chided.

With the threat of having his neck slashed open before he had a chance to stop him, Hanabusa unwillingly backed down. “Good puppy~” Kiryu purred, making the blond inwardly seethe. “Did you enjoy the show?” He asked with mock politeness, “I see you’ve finally lost your sanity, Kiryu.” Was Hanabusa’s retort.

The ex-human raised an eyebrow, “Yes and no~ I can very much assure you I’m in better state of mind than you, Puppy.” The nickname infuriated Aido. But baffled by the reply, he plainly asked, “What’s wrong with you, Kiryu?! Why would a hunter like you attack some innocent girl?” Mirth shimmered in Kiryu’s eyes, for what reason he didn’t know but it put him on edge. “Her blood called for me so sweetly~ so I took what I wanted.” Then lowering his voice Kiryu added “I’m sure that’s something you understand, Aido.”

It felt as though Hanabusa were missing one big important detail and it drove him insane. So far nothing seemed right about this encounter, he had thought it would end bloody with him fighting a level E to far gone to think right, and it should have if Kiryu had truly lost his last shreds of humanity, but it didn’t. And that didn’t make sense, Kiryu’s behavior didn’t make sense, nothing here made sense.

This wasn’t the hunter Hanabusa knew. This was not Kiryu. The realization resounded through him. It should be impossible for that to be true but what he had seen take place not long before was starting to show Aido, that nothing he thought was impossible couldn’t be anymore. “Who are you?” He asked quietly.

Kiryu gave him a once over then said cheekily “You’re smarter than you look~ It almost makes me want to reward you.” Hanabusa didn’t answer so Not-Kiryu just laughed, “You may call what you always do, Puppy~ We don’t want to arouse suspicion after all.” At this the blond finally spoke up.

“Oh? And how long do you expect to stay around after you killed that girl? The scent of her blood was so strong it won’t be long before everyone knows about it!” The other sighed sadly, “I take it back, you’re very dumb~ For that’s the whole point, you simpleton~” Dread filled the pit of Aido’s stomach “What do you mean?”

He chuckled and tightened his hold on Hanabusa’s throat, “Every level E in the corner of this city should be feasting on that woman by now, Puppy~ do you know what that means or should I spell it out? When they’re done with her not a trace of my involvement will be found.” Seeming pleased by Aido’s horrified expression, he released the noble and suddenly tossed him his coat.

Hanabusa caught and looked down at it with bemusement, “You’re going to help me burn that~” Not-Kiryu explained. He looked up, angry and about to refuse but Not-Kiryu interrupted him “And you’re also going to assist with anything else I need you to from now on. We’re friends now and friends help each other out, right?~”

Staring he watched as Not-Kiryu began to casually walk away, obviously expecting the other to follow, he confirmed this by looking over his shoulder and saying sweetly “You’ll comply, won’t you, Puppy. If you don’t want to be charged with assisted murder that is~” Obviously expecting an answer he gazed expectantly. Beyond furious and sick to his stomach, Hanabusa mumbled a quiet confirmation, the smug look Not-Kiryu gave him in return made him want to freeze the other’s insides.

But he wasn’t completely whipped yet and gripped the coat in his hands so tight he almost tore it while snapping “What are you after, Kiryu?” Whoever this was and whatever they wanted, Aido knew it could hardly be good for the academy and what Kaname sama wished to accomplish there.

Giving him an uninterested look, Not-Kiryu said vaguely, “The world~” and Aido had no choice but to follow him. Hating himself more with every step. How Hanabusa wished he had just minded his own business, getting involved had done no good, now instead? He felt as though he had sold his soul to the devil himself.

* * *

Akatsuki knew his cousin had a habit of not thinking and just being an all round idiot sometimes but he felt as though this must be crossing the line. He sighed, placing his head in his hands as if he had a terrible headache. Did Hanabusa have a death wish? Did staying out for hours at a time when he’s not even supposed to leave the dorm, seem like a good idea?

Because when it came to the short Noble sometimes Akatsuki just didn’t know. How someone could be so smart yet so dumb at the same time was beyond him. But he gave his room’s door another contemplative look and came to a decision. If Hanabusa wasn’t back in half an hour he’d go after him. Even if he had no doubt it would only drag him into another shenanigan he wanted no part of.

He could only hope their dorm president hadn’t noticed Aido’s absence as well. Though there was a fat chance of that, a peaceful life was just too much to ask for apparently. Akatsuki laid back to gaze tiredly at his ceiling, that blond cousin of his loved making him worry didn’t he?

Laying in silence for a few moments, the quiet began weigh heavily over him. With an mildly frustrated groan he pulled himself to his feet and made his way towards the door, waiting had proved too nerve wracking and there was no point in continuing, he might as well go find Hanabusa right now. And maybe this time there’d actually be a good explanation.

But before Akatsuki even touched the door handle, the door was wrenched open and Hanabusa appeared in a flurry of motion, looking quite flustered. Narrowly avoiding a collision, Akatsuki quickly backed up and allowed his cousin to collect himself. “Where were you this time?” Akatsuki asked with a tinge of irritation but mainly feeling relief.

Aido spared him a quick glance but looked away in favor of throwing himself onto his bed with a groan. After a deep sigh he answered, “Taking a walk, I guess.” Akatsuki quirked an eyebrow at the odd reply, but Hanabusa seemed to find something funny about his own response and gave a breathy chuckle. Whatever his cousin had been doing it certainly hadn’t lifted his spirits.

“A walk has you looking like that?” Akatsuki said doubtfully, but Aido didn’t answer and he rubbed his brow exasperatedly before continuing “You risked getting in trouble just to take a walk? Seriously?” Hanabusa remained silent now starting to worry Akatsuki. Had something really serious happened? And if so, what? It must have been something big to make his normally chatterbox cousin clam up like this.

But he could tell he wasn’t going to get anything else out of the blond, at least for now. It be best to let him be until he was more willing to talk. Though now, uncomfortably Akatsuki was starting to feel off himself and unnerved by his cousin’s behavior, and so quickly he attempted to casually change the mood by leaving the topic behind.

Hanabusa himself was just glad he made it back to his dorm, and managed to avoid detection and stress he couldn’t handle right now, while doing it. Especially when all he wanted to do was sleep and forget the entire night for a few blissful ignorant hours. However, little did he know, he hadn’t gone as unnoticed as he thought. And in the same dorm, a certain brunet vampire was staring at a chess board, and contemplating all these strange events that disrupted the normal course that life had took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and sorry about the wait. Yes it’s not my best work but at least it’s an update? Thank you so much for any kudos or comment you leave! I deeply appreciate feedback

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! It’s a little sucky but I hope you enjoy it all the same, if so please leave a comment and/or kudos! I’d love to hear advice or any feedback you have to offer


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